It reads like a first-world joke about the absurdly wealthy: having an iPad in the kitchen for recipes, a Nexus 7 in the car for navigation, a Kindle in the bedroom for reading, and a D2 Pad in the living room for a media remote. But the luxurious concept of uni-tasking tablets is becoming a reality in many households...

The idea of owning several tablet computers may seem absurd at first, but the tablet market continues to grow and prices are getting lower everyday. Plus, as early adopters upgrade their wares, they may find themselves owning multiple devices with overlapping utility. As we witness tablets becoming ubiquitous, we're also seeing a trend pop up in tech: Even the most modest techies have been experiementing with and promoting the use of multiple tablets fixed in different rooms and dedicated to a single use.

One in the Kitchen, One in the Car, and One Just for Reading

It's a silly idea when you first think about it. The huge benefit of a lightweight tablet computer is its mobility; you can carry the processing power of a 1990's Supercomputer anywhere you go. But the compact size of a tablet also lends itself to being mounted and installed, staying in one place for one purpose.

For instance, the idea of using your iPad to browse recipes or plan meals in the kitchen is not entirely new. But earlier this year, TechHive suggested the idea of turning an aging iPad into a dedicated kitchen computer—permanently mounted, protected and loaded with food and recipe apps. An iPad mounted in the kitchen could also replace a kitchen TV.

Navigation apps have always been big help in the car, but Adam Barciszewski of Cheskitech took it one step futher and integrated a Nexus 7 tablet as part of his car's dashboard. It's removable, if need be, but the tablet's main role now is playing music and giving directions on the road. Families with young kids might also consider keeping a tablet in the car for watching TV shows or movies on long (and sometimes short) trips.

Heavy readers might even find themselves in the early stages of the single-use tablet plague, using a big-screen, full-color iPad or Surface for browsing the web, but also keeping an e-ink eReader like the Kindle around just for reading books.

And yet, even though we're seeing single-use tablets pop up everywhere, the idea still seems a little frivolous. But this is definitely a trend to keep an eye on. If you've got an old tablet or reader collecting dust, consider giving it a dedicated use in a fixed place.